Pile fabric knitting machine for striped pile



March 3, 1964 R. E. BRANDT PILE FABRIC KNITTING MACHINE FOR STRIPED PILE Filed Oct. 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I if ' #9 I I i I l 57 I 45 p /24 INVENTOR.

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A TTOC/YEY! March 3, 1964 R. E. BRANDT PILE FABRIC KNITTING MACHINE FOR STRIPED FILE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 28, 1959 AM+MA IIIIIIIIII ArroENEYf March 3, 1964 R. E. BRANDT 3,122,904

PILE FABRIC KNITTING MACHINE FOR S'IRIPED PILE Filed Oct.- 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. 1%552 r E. 520N07- March 3, 1964 R. E. BRANDT 3,122,904

FILE FABRIC KNITTING MACHINE FOR STRIPED PILE Filed Oct. 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 0.5 L me I 200 f i A97 Z03 I 1 207. 2 ML Z04 F I I l l l I I r l N V EN TOR. oafez-E. Ben/v07 w, my

This invention relates to a pile fabric knitting machine for striped pile.

More particularly stated this invention relates to a pile fabric knitting machine equipped with pile fibre feeding means for controlled feed of fibres of different characteristics or at difierent quantitative rates to produce pile stripes or other pile pattern effects.

Heretofore circular knitting machines have been provided with beads whereby short lengths of fibre are fed to the hooks of the working cylinder needles; the fibres being introduced into such heads in the form of continuous slivers. One form of head for this purpose is shown in US. Patent 2,710,525 issued June 14, 1955 to R. E. Brandt. Such heads were adapted to feed a sliver or fibres therefrom continuously to a doifer roll which is the card-like roll into the clothing of which the hooks of the cylinder needles rake to pick up pile fibres in readiness for the next knitting stitch.

Efforts have been made heretofore to use pairs of doifer rolls or sliver feed mechanisms in side by side relation. Such doffer rolls have been provided with fibres of different characteristics; for instance, red fibres carried by one dofier roll and white fibres carried by the other and means have been provided to separately control the position of each doifer roll so that the one color or the other, or both colors, may be fed to the hooks of the needles for a selected pattern.

In accord with the instant invention, however, the doller roll is constantly positioned to deliver to the hooks of th needles any fibres with which the doffer roll clothing is provided, and the mechanism described below for determining the pattern of the pile of the fabric relates to the feed of the selected fibres of differing characteristics to the doiier roll. Therefore, special infeed devices for the respective slivers, special clutching devices for the infeed mechanisms, improved clutching apparatus for selecting the infeed mechanism to be operated at a particular time interval or sequence, and special master control devices and apparatus for the selecting and driving of the sliver and fibre feed are important features of this invention.

Provision of a plurality of pile fibre feeding stations at spaced locations around the periphery of the licker-in roll, and the control of equipment of such feeding stations are also features of this invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a head equipped with infeed apparatus, in accord with this invention; a portion of a circular knitting machine with which the head is assembled being shown likewise in elevation.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a circular knitting machine equipped with four heads in accord with this invention and with a control device for said heads, the heads and knitting machine being shown somewhat diagrammatically.

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 but showing 3,1223% Patented Mar. 3, -1

in plan the entire areas of the feeler plates and of the slivers upon which they bear.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 the view being opposite that shown in FIG. 1, portions of the circular knitting machine being shown in vertical section.

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an elevation on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

PEG. 7 is a section on line 77 of PEG. 8.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail in side elevation showing a portion of the control chain and an electrical switch for actuation thereby.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical and pneumatic control elements included in this invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing somewhat diagrammatically the cylindrical pile fabric product of a machine made in accord with this invention.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary vertical section through parts of the knitting cylinder and doffer roll and showing the cam action upon knitting needles raised into position relative to the doffer roll.

FIG. 2 shows in plan and FIG. 6 shows in fragmentary side elevation the general environment of the circular knitting machine including the base with which the mechanical elements of this invention are incorporated. The bed plate 15 of the knitting machine provides support for a number, preferably four of heads 16, the construction and operation of which are important to this invention. At 259 there is a control station equipped to time and operate some of the head equipment. Rotary cylinder 21 supported by the bed plate 15 is provided with vertically positioned and reciprocable needles 22 whose outwardly directed hooks are raised as shown in FIG. ll to pick up pile fibres as such hooks rake through the card clothing of the doi'ier roll 23 forming the delivery element of each head.

Associated with each head 16 as shown in FIG. 1 there is a licker-in roll 25. This receives upon its clothing 26 the fibres which are fed to it by feed or nip rolls 2728, 29-3ti in the form of slivers 31 or 32. These slivers are fed in pairs; two slivers side by side being fed to the relatively wide clothing of the licker-in roll (see FIG. 3). Then as the fibres are carried by the licker-in clothing to the dolfer roll 23 over the surface of the transfer or intermediate roll 33, the fibres are distributed over the complete clothing in such a way that delivery of fibres is substantially complete when the hooks of the needles 22 rake laterally across and through the doifer roll clothing. Special mention is made of this because the more modern clothing with which the various rolls 23, 25, and 33 are equipped, and the more modern types of fibres have made it possible for the raking needle hooks to clean the fibres from the dotfer roll more thoroughly than heretofore. To no small degree this has been assisted by the principle of operation of a pile fabric knitting machine as described in Patent 2,710,525 referred to above and in which the shape of the cams operating the needles 22 was improved so as to make the needle hooks rake to an even depth throughout the entire width of the dofler roll.

To carry out the instant invention so as to produce a knitted pile fabric with the pile so fed as to be striped, it will for purposes of illustration be assumed that the product is to comprise a pile fabric tube 35 shown in 3 FIG. 10. This is the tube as it is delivered by the circular knitting machine and it is to be slit and opened to provide piece goods. The tube includes base fabric 36 made up of knitted yarn and comprising the exterior of the tube. Internally of the tube at 3'7 the pile of the fabric is made up of fibres derived from the slivers 31-32 and intertwined with the base fabric. Viewing the base fabric on the exterior of the tube, there will be some indication as, for instance, by color of the intertwined portions of the pile fibres derived from sliver 31 and We shall assume in the description set forth below that sliver 31 has furnished the pile 37 while ten courses of base fabric knitting has been accomplishe in the zone bracketed at 33. Then during five courses of base fabric knitting the pile fibres to make the zone at 39 are furnished by sliver paddles 2 32 and2il3 is in cative of the spacing for this short feed. Actuasly the complete cycle of the chain 197 represents the complete cycle as portrayed on PlG. 10. Then at 41 five courses of base fabric knitting are furnished with fibres from sliver 32 in the same manner in which pile fibres were furnished in 39. Then in zone 42 ten courses of base fabric knitting are provided with fibres from sliver 31 in accord with the zone 38, thus completing a cycle of operations of this particular knitting machine the construction and operation of which is now to be described.

It will be assumed that the sliver 31 is feeding red fibres and the sliver 32 is feeding white fibres. Therefore, zones 3-8 and 32 are each provided with red pile fibres. Zones 39 and 41 are provided with white pile fibres.

Since the entire structure of each head 16 is supported upon a head frame 45, this same head frame supports the infeed apparatus for the slivers 31 and 32. At 46 there is a substai tial shaft which is tubular and which extends through'head frame 45. It is upon this tubular shaft 45 that sliver infeed frame 47 is pivotally mounted upon an axis which is parallel to the axis 48 of the licker-in roll 25. The sliver infeed frame 47 has a hub Ell shaped as shown most clearly in FIG. where it will be seen that the hub is provided with three upstanding-webs, 53, 52, and 5 3, and the hub is recessed at 54 to receive the upstanding portion 55 of head frame 45. As shown in FIG. 5 shaft is shouldered at 56 to bear against a side face of head frzune 45. It is possible by means of plate 57 hearing against the end face of hub 5% to draw shaft 45 to the left with tightening bolts 58 and thus position the frame 47 frictionaliy with respect to frame d5.

Between webs 51 and 52 and provided with bearings mounted in said webs are the two or feed rolls 29 and 39. Roll 3% is mounted neon a clutch shaft so to which it is fixed and to which spur gear 61 is keyed. Roll 2? on the other hand is mounted upon shaft 62 provided with spur gear 63, and since gear is meshed with gear 61 the two rolls 29 and 3t rotate so as to feed slivers 32 toward the ticker-in roll 25. T1 e bearings for shaft 62 as shown in FIG. 5 are mounted for vertical adjustment in webs 51 and 52 respectively so that springs at 64 may bear against the bearings and tend to compress the sliver between the rolls; it being understood that the teeth of the spur gears 61 and 63 are sufficiently long and so designed as to permit of the relatively limited adjustment ne essary for this floating operation of roll 29.

Bridging the margins of webs 51 and 53, there is a bridge 65 through which there is a shaft 66 providing a mounting pintle to carry webs 67 and 68 which are shaped as shown in FIG. 5 so that nuts upon the ends of shaft es may be used to bind the webs in frictional en agement with the ends of bridge 65. A bearing at 59 in web 68 and a bearing at 7 3 web 67 provide mounting for sliver power clutch shaft 7 1, and a bridge plate 72 extending across the otherwise free margins of web 67 and't and secured thereto by screws 73 and 74 provides an arrangement in which an intermediate web 75 secured to the bridge by screws 76 may carry in bearing 77 together with bearing 78 in web 67 a support for shaft '79 which is the shaft upon which roll 27 is imed. Thus a spur gear 39 keyed to shaft 71 and meshed with a spur gear 31 keyed to shaft 79 provide for a drive of rolls Z7 and 28 somewhat comparable to the drive provided by spurs 61 and 63. It will be noted that bearings '77 and 78 are floated under pressure of springs 82. and 33 in a manner somewhat similar to the floating of the bearings for roll 29 described above. Also it will be noted at 84 there is a slotted web and clamp bolt arrangement for adjustment rockably of the position of the rolls 2'7-28 relatively to the licker-in roll. (FIG. 4.)

votally supported in reference to shaft 46 so that tion of these rolls is adjustable toward and away and u' the po from the licker-in roll 25; also that rolls 27 and 28 are so mounted in the framework including webs 67 and 68 with bridge 72 and intermediate web 75 providing adjustable mounting of these rolls 27 and 28 toward and away from the same licker-in roll 25. Therefore, when power is applied to shaft on. or 71, and slivers are fed by one or the other of the two sets of feed rolls as described below, a determination can be made as to Whether the slivers 31 or 32. made up of fibers of particular different characteristics will. be fed or not fed to the lic erin roll.

It will be noted that as shown in FIG. '1 each of the slivers is fed to its respective feed-in rolls through a guide ring 85, through a broken sliver detector 86, through an arch 87 and under a feeler plate 88. The arch 87 supports individual control switches 39 designed and equipped to make and breaks control circu for the several motors used to drive the knitting machine witl n which this infeed apparatus is designed to operate and when the feeler plate 88 mounted upon switch ctuating arm 99 drops because no sliver is in position to support the feeler plate 88 the switch will be opened by the swinging movement of arm 59% to shut down the machine.

Since an important feature of the invention relates to the driving connections by which shafts and 71 are driven, it is important to consider the means by which a motor 1% mounted upon'a motor mounting plate ltii at the top of the head frame 45 transmits its rotative power to the various shafts. Initially, it will be noted that the sprocket 1&2 upon motor shaft li'lS is connected by main drive chain 194 to master sprocket H55. This master sprocket is mounted upon shaft res equipped with a bevel gear idi. This gear is meshed with a bevel gear 168. on vertical shaft 139 connected through universal joint lit with a bevel gear at 111 so that a cylinder driving shaft 112 with its gearllS is powered to drive the large bevel gear H4 connected to the cylinder 21.

To drive the licker-in roll 25, there is a sour gear 115 fixed on the shaft of the licker-in roll which is on axis 48. Spur gear 116 on shaft ill-6 meshes with the spur gear 115 to complete this drive, and to co-ordinate the drive of the licker-in roll with intermediate roll 33 and doifer roll 23 there is a chain drive including chain 117 sprocket 118 on the intermediate roll shaft 319 and a sprocket 120 on idler shaft 121, shaft 121 also is equipped with spur gear 122 in mesh with a spur gear 123 on shaft 124 for the doifer roll. An idler sprocket mounted with reference to framebracket 12.6 completes the chain connection arrangements in his regard.

Now looking to the drive connections for the shafts 6d and 71, it will be seen upon examination of PEG. 4 that the shaft 43 upon which spur gear 115 is mounted is provided with a spur gear 131 connected with a chain of gears including gear 132, inion i3? concentric with this and gear 134 meshed with pinion 133 to drive pinion 135. This pinion 135 drives gear 136 fixed on shaft 137 which is provided with a spur pinion 138, in turn meshed with gear 139 fixed on shaft 14-0 provided with pinion 14-1. This last mentioned pinion 14.1 is meshed with gear 142 loosely mounted on shaft 60.

To transmit power from shaft as to shaft 71, there is another train of gears including transfer gear 1% and driven gear 146 which is an idler gear on shaft 71. Having transmitted the rotativc power of motor 1% to the freely rotatable gears 142 and 145, it is the function of the apparatus now to be described to clutch one or the other of these gears to the shaft on which it rotates. For this purpose there are two fluid operated clutches and 151 (see FIG. 5).

Since the two clutches 15D and 151 are substantially identical, attention is directed to clutch 151 and the reference characters are duplicated with respect to clutch 159'. The clutch body is cylindrical and is designed to move bodily in a direction parallel to the shaft upon which it is mounted. There is a circumferential, cylindrical shell 152 mounted between two header plates 153 and 154. These header plates are fixed respectively against the ends of a cylindrical member 155 upon which the shell 152 is telescopically received and since the cylindrical member 155 is very slightly longer than the shell 152, it is possible by pulling up the screws 156 very tightly to provide a housing for the clutch actuating parts upon which the cylinder 152 is freely revoluble. The interior surface 157 of the cylindrical member 155 provides a cylinder wall for a piston head 158 fixed against a shoulder provided at 159 on the shaft which is to be controlled. This piston head is moveable between the two header plates 153 and 154- under the control of fluid pressure fed to the chamber ass or 161 for instance by air from a pressure source described below.

Dogs 165 upon the end faces of the gears 142 and 146 are spaced complementarily for engagement by dogs 166 extending from the faces of the header plates 153 so that as the clutch 15%) or 151 moves to the right or to the left as seen in PEG. 5 the dogs will be disengaged or engaged, and since header plates 153 are keyed to their respective shafts it will now be clear that when air is admitted under pressure into a chamber 161 that particular clutch with its clutch plate 153 and dogs 166 will be thrust to the left as seen in FIG. 5 so as to cause the dogs to engage and drive the shaft for feed of the particular slivers desired to be fed. Admission of air under pressure into chamber 15%} will move the header plates 153 and T54- to the right whereby to disengage the dogs and permit the feed rolls on that particular shaft 6% or 71 to come to a stop.

Air under pressure is fed to the clutches 154) and 151 throu h two main fee-d tubes 17d and 171 and it will be apparent from the following description that pressure in tube 176 will cause clutch 153 to be engaged and pressure in tube 171 will cause clutch 151 to drive its shaft 71. Tube 17% is not only pneumatically connected through tube 72 to chamber 161 in clutch Edit by means of port 173 in its cylinder 152 and port 17? in cylindrical member 155, but is also connected through the tube 175 and through ports 176 and 177 with chamber 169 in clutch 151. Thus there will be simultaneous disengagement of clutch 151 when pressure in tube 178 causes engagement of clutch 15%.

The other main feed tube 171 is connected through tube 18%, port 131 and port 182, with chamber 16% in clutch 15d and this main tube 171 is also connected with clutch 151 through tube 233, ports 13 i and 185, with chamber 161 of that clutch, thus providing for simultsneous engagement of clutch 151 and disengagement of clutch 159.

As shown in the drawings the main tubes as connected to the cylinders 152 of the respective clutches at each station (for instance at each of the four stations shown in FIG. 6). These cylinders do not revolve with their respective shafts 61} or 71, and this nonrevolubility is assured by careful fitting of the cylinders 152 in the grooves provided by the revoluble cylinder members and the marginal portions of the header plates. Ready pneumatic communication of air under pressure between the ports such as ports 173-174 is assured by annular grooves indicated in the drawings (as for instance, groove 186 in cylinder member v155' of clutch 151).

PEG. 6 shows, as does FIG. 4, the large gear 114 connected to the cylinder 21. This is used as a driving ele ment or control station equipment 190. Between the base of the knitting machine and the bed plate 15 there is a vertical strut 191 providing bearing support for control shaft 192.. There is a bevel gear 1% to connect shaft 192 with gear 114 and there is a sprocket and chain connection at 195 to drive reduction gearing at 195 whereby control chain 197 is operated at the correct speed for clutch control as will now be described.

Control chain 197 is so mounted on sprocket 193 and idler sprocket 199 that a switch control reach 2% is vertical and tight (see FIG. 6). A backing plate at 197 assures this. The links of this chain are so designed as shown in H68. 7 and 8 that selected links such as that shown at 2%} may be provided with a switch paddle m2 for engagement of clutch 154) or 2133 for clutch 151.

On a bracket 2434 there are supported two control switches 2655 and 2% each equipped with a paddle arm 267-2955 pivotly positioned for actuation of a switch button such as the one indicated at 269 so that when a switch paddle moves against a roller 21% on the end of a paddle arm the button under that arm will be thrust to close that particular switch momentarily as that link carrying that paddle is progressing upward-1y as shown.

Diagrammatically in FIG. 9 the electrical and pneumatic circuits for control of clutches 15d and 151 for a particular head 16 are shown. Assuming that a paddle 2% has closed switch 2% an electric circuit through lead 215 is completed through lead 216, solenoid coil 217 and ground wire 218. This causes valve 219 to move against spring 226 and to open the valve for air under pressure to pass through Valve cage 221 and pipe 222 into cylinder 223 where it will thrust master valve 225 to the left as shown. It will be apparent that a pneumatic circuit is now open to feed air under pressure from a source indicated at 22s to pass to tube 179 and 172, also to tube 175. Actuation of the clutches will then be simultaneous, and opposite as described above.

On the other hand if a paddle 203 closes switch 2&5 the electric circuit through lead 239 will energize solenoid coil 231 whereby to move valve 232 against compression spring 233 thus passing air under pressure through cage 234 and tube 235 to chamber 235 for actuation of piston 237 connected to master valve 225 for movement thereof to the right as seen in FIG. 9. It will be obvious from the diagram that air from source under pressure will now pass from the master valve through tube 171 to cause clutch 151 to engaged position whereas clutch 15% will be moved to disengaged position.

The master valve controls exhaust of air under pressure through tube 240 in a manner clearly shown in the diagram.

It will be understood that valves 21? and 232 are returned to their positions shown in FIG. 9 whenever their respective electric circuits are in the normally open standby position awaiting energization at a time when a paddle moves past a switch arm described. Also it will be understood that in such standby position the pistons remain in the position to which they were last actively urged by air controlled by the solenoids, on the master valve as the case may be.

While there is friction to bring a set of feed rolls to a stop when its clutch is disengaged there is also a continued pull of the licker-in roll upon the silver or roving tending to prolong the feed of fibres. To prevent this 7 there is a brake mechanism on the end of each of the shafts 6G and 71. Against the end of these shafts there is a Washer shaped brake shoes, 235 resiliently held there by a screw 236 the head of which is large enough to retain a compression spring 237 designed to bear against the outer face of the shoe. When the clutch is engaged, there is plenty of room between the shoe and header plate 154 so that there is no appreciable braking action, but when the clutch moves to the right as seen in PEG. there is braking against plate 238 which is held against rotation by a forked extension 239 which embraces one of the fiuid pressure tubes 175 or l v d. This plate 238 pushes shoe 235 so as to compress the spring and the resulting friction between shoe and plate is sufiicient to stop the feed of the roving. The roving is then ruptured.

Tracing a sequence of operations according to this invention, the knitting machine, operated by motors 109 will be actively knitting a base fabric through the use of needles including cylinder needles 22. The base fabric is in the shape of a tube as shown in FIG. 10 and the cylinder 21 is constantly rotating. The motor drives through chains 114 drive each of the head 16 mechanically so that the slivers 31 or 32 are fed to the licker-in rolls 25. The licker-in roll in each head in constantly rotating, and the pile fibres must be supplied thereto so that pile fibres are continuously available on the clothing of the intermediate and doiter rolls in readiness for pick up by the cylinder needles 22 as they rake through the clothing of the doifer rolls. Furthermore the dotfer rolls are constantly in position for delivery of pile fibres to the hooks of the needles. The needles are constantly raking the clothing of the doffer rolls.

The slivers fed to the licker-in roll by one set of feed or nip rolls 2'7-28 according to this invention are made up of fibres of certain characteristics; color, denier, length, or any other feature desired. The fibres fed in the form of slivers to feed or nip rolls 293li are of different characteristics and it is possible, by shutting oil the feed through 27-28 and initiating feed at 293, and vice versa in accord with this invention to produce a perfectly controlled sequence of stripes or patterns evidenced by the pile delivered to the base fabric knitting operation.

Assuming that the knitting machine has been knitting a base fabric as to which the heads 16 have been feeding pile from the pair of slivers 31 to produce a zone 38 of red pile of Dynel synthetic fibres, this would means that the clutch 151 is engaged for drive of shaft 71. The feed rolls 27 and 28 will be feeding these red fibres to the licker-in roll 25 which will be passing them to intermediate roll 33 and thence to dofier roll 23 for pick up by the books of needles 22. While this has been carried on to produce ten courses of base fabric the mechanical connections shown in FIG. 6 have been advancing the control chain 197 until a paddle 262 is brought into position against paddle arm 2&8 of switch 2% whereby to close the circuit for energization of solenoid 217. Immediately air under pressure is fed through valve 219 to chamber 223 for actuation of valve 225 to the left as seen in FIG. 9, and air under pressure is immediately introduced into chamber 161 of clutch 159. Also air under pressure is simultaneously introduced into chamber 169 of clutch so that the two clutches simultaneously reverse their positions; shaft 60 is now driven to cause slivers 3.2 to be fed to the licker-in roll and the feed of fibres from slivers 31 ceases.

Now, until another paddle 2% closes switch 2% the feed of slivers 32 will continue, but when such a paddle 263 does close switch 2&5 the solenoid 231 will actuate valve 232;, valve 225 will be thrust to the right (FIG. 9), and the two clutches 15d and 151 ill again be actuated to stop feed of slivers 32 and start the feed of slivers 31.

It is now clear that the pattern of stripes or other pattern differences evidenced by different pile fibre characteristics fed from different slivers may be governed by changes in paddle positions along control chain 197.

Furthermore it is possible, by selecting slivers of differing densities of pile per given length of sliver, or by selecting slivers made up of mixed colors or other characteristics to provide a wide variety of patterns in the completed fabric.

Because of the large diameter of the licker-iu roll as contrasted with the size and comparative speed of rotation of the intermediate and dorler rolls the slight lag infeed of slivers from rolls Z728 to the licker-in roll when the feed from rolls 293tl ceases is of no serious consequence. Likewise on the reverse action of the clutches the short double feed of fibre to the clothing of the licker-in roll is evened out before the hooks of needles 22 are involved.

I claim:

1. In a frame supported fabric knitting machine; a rotatable cylinder equipped with reciprocable hooked needles; a carding head having a licker-in roll, and a doffer roll, said dofifer roll having clothing positioned to be raked by hooks of said needles and to receive fibres from said licker-in roll; a plurality of fibre feed means positioned at spaced stations peripherally of the licker-in roll for feed of fibre thereto; and power connections for constant rotation of the cylinder, licker-in and doffer rolls, said power connections including means for driving the fibre feed means alternatively.

2. The lciitting machine of claim 1 including a control station having a constantly moving member equipped with spaced paddles; control means positioned to be actuated by said paddles; said control means being connected to said power connection means whereby to alternatively drive the fibre feed means.

3. The knitting machine of claim 1 in which the means for driving the fibre feed means comprise a separate clutch between the power connections and each fibre feed means, and a control station means connected for alternative engagement of said clutches.

4. The knitting machine of claim 1 provided with an intermediate roll between the licker-in roll and the dofier roll.

5. In a pile fabric machine, a circular knitting machine having a rotatable hooked needle cylinder, a plurality of carding heads positioned about said cylinder and each having a succession of card clothed rolls for feed of pile fibre to the hooks of said needles, one of said rolls comprising a large licker-in roll and another comprising a doiler roll, a first sliver feed-in means positioned at one station adglacent each licker-in roll to feed pile fibre to said roll, a second sliver feed-in means positioned in trailing position peripherally of each licker-in roll for feed of separate sliver to said licker-in rolls; driving means for the cylinder, rolls and sliver feed-in means including a separate fluid controlled clutch for each feed-in means; control means including a master valve and fluid connections for fiuid under pressure connected to said clutches for alternative actuation of the clutches whereby selectively to feed fibre from one or another of said sliver feeding means.

6. The machine of claim 5 in which the doflfer rollis constantly in position to be raked by said needles.

7. A knittin machine comprising a licker-in roll and a dofier roller, a needle cylinder and associated hooked needles positioned to receive fibres from the dolier roll; a plurality of feed roll means positioned to feed a plurality of separate slivers at peripherally spaced stations to the licker-in roll, drive means for operation of the needle cylinder, and said rolls, said drive means being provided with clutch means positioned for controlled connection to the feed roll means.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein the clutch means are alternatively connectible to one or the other or said feed roll means.

9. In a machine of the character described, a revoluble knitting cylinder and means for completing a knitted base fabric; hooked needles for said cylinder forming part of said means for knitting said fabric; means for feeding pile fibres to said hooked needles, said means including a dofier roll positioned for delivery of fibres immediately to said needles; a licker-in roll positioned for delivery of fibres to the doffer roll; and a separate set of nip rolls for each of a plurality of slivers, said sets of nip rolls being positioned at spaced stations peripherally of the licker-in roll; and drive means for alternative drive of said separate sets of nip rolls, said drive means having a connected control device to shift from one alternative 10 means to another.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Walton Sept. 1, 1857 Tillotson Nov. 1, 1921 Moore Ian. 17, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1877 

1. IN A FRAME SUPPORTED FABRIC KNITTING MACHINE; A ROTATABLE CYLINDER EQUIPPED WITH RECIPROCABLE HOOKED NEEDLES; A CARDING HEAD HAVING A LICKER-IN ROLL, AND A DOFFER ROLL, SAID DOFFER ROLL HAVING CLOTHING POSITIONED TO BE RAKED BY HOOKS OF SAID NEEDLES AND TO RECEIVE FIBRES FROM SAID LICKER-IN ROLL; A PLURALITY OF FIBRE FEED MEANS POSITIONED AT SPACED STATIONS PERIPHERALLY OF THE LICKER-IN ROLL FOR FEED OF FIBRE THERETO; AND POWER CONNECTIONS FOR CONSTANT ROTATION OF THE CYLINDER, LICKER-IN AND DOFFER ROLLS, SAID POWER CONNECTIONS INCLUDING MEANS FOR DRIVING THE FIBRE FEED MEANS ALTERNATIVELY. 